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India to give 4 x Mi-25 gunships to Afghanistan

 
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 07, 2015 8:56 am    Post subject: India to give 4 x Mi-25 gunships to Afghanistan Reply with quote

http://indianexpress.com/article/explained/four-mi-25-attack-helicopters-for-afghanistan-indias-bold-move/

Four Mi-25 attack helicopters for Afghanistan: India’s bold move

November 6, 2015

During the visit of Afghan National Security Advisor, Mohammad Hanif Atmar to Delhi later this week, it is expected that India will announce the transfer of four Mi-25 attack helicopters to Afghanistan. As per agency reports, an Indian security official has confirmed that, “We are going to give them the helicopters, this is a one-off arrangement”.

Afghanistan’s military has been in dire need of helicopters. Besides approaching India, Kabul had reportedly asked Russia directly for the same. Even earlier, US had purchased smaller helicopters from Russia for the Afghan air force but that was stopped after Moscow intervened in the Ukraine.

Afghanistan during President Hamid Karzai’s rule, sought military hardware from India but the deal did not go through during the UPA government. The equipment requested by the Afghan government in 2013 included tanks and artillery to boost land-based firepower; Kabul had asked for helicopters but these were for medical evacuation and not attack helicopters.

By agreeing to transfer attack helicopters now, India will send a strong signal of cooperating with Afghanistan in its fight against Taliban. The Since the Taliban leadership is based in Pakistan and Pakistan continues to support the Taliban leadership, it also sends out a strong message to Islamabad. Such a deal would need the tacit approval of the US, and because the equipment is of Russian origin, the transfer will have to be approved by Moscow. With so many countries coming together, notwithstanding the number and vintage of helicopters involved, the transfer assumes greater geo-strategic significance.

Another indication of the significance of India’s decision to transfer the Mi-25 helicopters is the critical shortage of attack helicopters in its own inventory. India’s Mi-25 helicopters are the export version of the old Soviet Union’s Mi-24D helicopters and were inducted in the No. 125 Helicopter Unit of the Indian Air Force (IAF) in May 1984. They were deployed against the LTTE during the IPKF operations in Sri Lanka. Their usage during the Kargil War, however, brought out their limitations as the Mi-25 has a service ceiling of 14,500 feet.

Besides Mi-25, the IAF also has the Mi-35 attack helicopters which are the export version of Soviet Union’s Mi-24V helicopters. There are currently two units of Mi-25 and Mi-35 helicopters; they are army assets for use with Strike Corps although they are still manned, controlled and operated by the IAF.

Both the Mi-25 and Mi-35 helicopters are obsolete now and need replacements on priority. They will be replaced by the 22 Apache helicopters – PM Modi signed a deal for them with Boeing during his visit to the US in September. They will form part of the IAF inventory. The army has also asked for an additional 33 Apache helicopters for its three Strike Corps.

The first Apache helicopter will be inducted in the IAF after two years. Once India transfers the four Mi-25s to Afghanistan, there will be a shortfall of attack helicopters for India’s strike corps operations till the Apaches are inducted and operationalised. That India is willing to leave that gap in its offensive military capabilities in order to help Afghanistan indicates the importance Delhi attaches to defeating terror in the neighbourhood.

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PostPosted: Thu Dec 24, 2015 9:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

https://www.khaama.com/india-has-reportedly-delivered-3-mi-25-gunships-to-afghanistan-1858

India has reportedly delivered 3 Mi-25 gunships to Afghanistan

Dec 23 2015

India has reportedly delivered three of the four Russian-made Mi-25 gunship helicopters to Afghanistan with the last gunship to arrive in the near future.

Sources privy of the development in New Delhi have said the gunships were transported to Afghanistan by a C-17 transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force.

Although the officials in Kabul have not confirmed the receipt of the gunships so far, however sources in New Delhi quoted by local media agencies have confirmed the delivery and have said the fourth gunship will be delivered next week.

The local media reports further added that the announcement of gunships delivery will be made by Prime Minister Narenda Modi during his visit to Kabul on coming Friday.

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PostPosted: Fri Dec 25, 2015 5:32 am    Post subject: Reply with quote



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PostPosted: Wed Nov 02, 2016 8:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

https://www.khaama.com/mi-25s-supplied-by-india-prevented-further-deterioration-of-security-ghani-02195

Mi-25s supplied by India prevented further deterioration of security: Ghani

Nov 01 2016

The Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani said Tuesday that the Mi-25s supplied by India prevented further deterioration of the security situation of the country.

Speaking during a joint conference of the leadership of security institutions, President Ghani said “The situation could further deteriorate if the Mi-25s supplied by India would not arrive on time.”

Hailing the Afghan Air Force (AAF) leaders for their efforts to provide air support to the Afghan forces during the ongoing fighting season, President Ghani said “We were forced to use the Mi-17 transport helicopters as gunships during the last Afghan fiscal year.”

President Ghani further added that the Afghan nation witnessed the re-establishment of the Afghan Air Force (AAF) during the ongoing fiscal year of 1395 and that led to an Afghan-owned decision making in providing air support to the fghan forces.

Emphasizing on the importance of the confernece, President Ghani said the Afghan security institutions should remain target oriented for the upcoming fiscal year of 1396 as they have passed a year of survival in 1394 and are in the process of going through the national mobilization to defend in 1395.

India started the delivery of lethal military equipment to the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces late in December 2015.

The Afghan Air Force received 3 of the 4 Mi-25 gunship helicopters late in the month of December last year which coincided with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Afghanistan.

The Indian sources earlier said India is preparing the fourth gunship helicopter for the delivery to the Afghan armed forces and hope hope that the delivery will be done in the near future.

“The fourth helicopter is yet to be transferred. It needs spares before it can be made fully operational and the spares have to come from Russia,” diplomatic sources said.

The sources further added that efforts were on to fix the issue. “There was an issue with the spares. It is being sorted out. It should be delivered very soon,” a senior defence official said without specifying a timeframe.

According to reports, the four helicopters were taken from the inventory of the Indian Air Force (IAF) at the Air Force station in Pathankot.

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PostPosted: Mon Nov 28, 2016 7:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

https://www.khaama.com/india-hands-over-another-mi-24-gunship-to-afghan-air-force-02376

India hands over another Mi-24 gunship to Afghan Air Force

Nov 27 2016

India completed the delivery of the final Mi-24 gunship to the Afghan Air Force (AAF) as part of New Delhi’s ongoing reconstruction effort with the delivery of the 4 gunships marking the first lethal weaponry supply to the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF).

The Afghan Air Force (AAF) said the last of the 4 Mi-24 gunships was delivered to the Afghan Air Force on Saturday.

AAF further added that a number of the Indian Air Force personnel also arrived in Kabul to complete the delivery of the final gunship to the Afghan forces.

This comes as diplomatic sources said late in August that “The fourth helicopter is yet to be transferred. It needs spares before it can be made fully operational and the spares have to come from Russia.”

The sources further added that efforts were on to fix the issue. “There was an issue with the spares. It is being sorted out. It should be delivered very soon,” a senior defence official said without specifying a timeframe.

Afghanistan received three of the four Mi-25 gunship helicopters from India late in the month of December last year and days before the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Kabul.

The decision for the delivery of Mi-25 gunship helicopters was concluded during the recent visit of Afghan National Security Adviser Mohammad Hanif Atmar to New Delhi.

India has remained one of the key donors for the reconstruction of Afghanistan following the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001.

Since 2002, the Government of India has committed USD 2 billion dollars to the socio-economic rebuilding of the Afghan state and society in accordance with the development priorities of the Government and the people of Afghanistan.



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